Overcomes Typical Nanoparticle Production Drawbacks by Synthesizing Particles with Acoustic Cavitation Produced in a Magnetic Field
This approach to nanoparticle production uses a magnetic processing technique that utilizes cavitation and in-situ particle synthesis, producing metal alloy nanoparticles useful for industrial applications. In recent years, scientists observed how nanoparticles exhibit behaviors advantageous to industrial applications, such as quantum dots and catalysis. Nanotechnology is considerably improving many technology and industry sectors, including information technology, energy and medicine. However, nanoparticle synthesis can be challenging due to the unusually high surface-to-volume ratio of the particles. Available inorganic nanoparticles are produced by methods with drawbacks such as limited availability of precursors, instability, and lack of safety and efficacy. University of Florida researchers have developed an approach to nanoparticle production using cavitation and in-situ particle formation. This approach circumnavigates the lack of various nanoparticle chemistries by producing nanoparticles in-situ by the reaction of an ex-situ particle and the containment vessel. The addition of cavitation enhances this particle formation by enhancing the particles’ wettability potential, thereby decreasing the amount of time required for the particles to separate on the surface of the containment vessel. This approach would be applicable to the production of steel-carbon-magnesium reaction products for subsequent use or for immediate incorporation into a composite.
Application
Nanoparticle production for industrial purposes
Advantages
- Combines cavitation and in-situ formation to improve particle wettability, reducing the tendency for agglomeration and decreasing production time
- Forms particles in an in-situ scheme, minimizing the potential release of airborne particles and consequent environmental contamination and respiratory distress
- Forgoes the traditional solution-based method for particle production, overcoming the drawbacks associated with current particle production approaches
Technology
This magneto-acoustic processing approach involves a container of metal or ferromagnetic solid combined with abrasive particles in a static magnetic field. The magnetic field is a force field created by a magnet emitting a steady flow of charges. The container inside the magnetic field is surrounded by an induction coil that, when heated up by an electric current, causes the metallic or ferromagnetic solid to become a fluid. This arrangement of the induction coil in accordance with the magnetic field generates sound energy to produce acoustic cavitation and abrasion between the abrasive particles and the container. Acoustic cavitation is the growth and collapse of preexisting bubbles under the influence of ultrasonic fields in liquids. The bubbles collapse in the liquid results in an enormous concentration of energy from the conversion of the kinetic energy of liquid motion into heating of the contents of the bubble. This produces nanoparticles that comprise elements from the container, the metal or ferromagnetic solid, and the abrasive particles. Unlike other particle synthesis techniques, this uses in-situ particle formation, which prevents particle agglomeration while maintaining a good spatial distribution.
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